Word for 2022: Ease

"My truth, and maybe yours too, is different from that unconscious voice driving our habits. Every part of me is craving ease. Not hustle, not rushing, not stress, but ease. I am not naive to think that life is easy and without challenges, heartbreak, or difficulty. But I am wise enough now to check in with myself to ask, "Is this (fill in the blank) bringing me ease?" Does the thought of it (fill in the blank) bring ease or stress? And then make choices accordingly."
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I know, we're not even halfway through December and I'm already thinking of "my word" for 2022. A friend of mine always comes up with a word she wants to embody or focus on or bring in for the New Year. As much as I love words, finding one for an entire year has always been something I've found challenging to do and stick with.

But, as I enter what I believe to be a pivotal year for me (I will write more on this throughout 2022), the word that's been surfacing lately is "ease." Not easy but ease. 

Here's the deal: we live in a society that prides itself on "the hustle," "the grind," "making things happen." Growing up, I was taught to value hard work and persistence. This isn't a bad thing, but I wasn't taught as much how to balance my needs and desires with the external push and drive that everyone seems to admire. As an adult, I carried the "you have to work harder" mentality into every aspect of my life. Whether professional or personal, I've placed more attention on effort than the actual feelings that come with that effort or outcome. 

Work, work, work. Hard, hard, hard. Fast, fast, fast. If I'm honest, that has had its place and I've benefited from the grind and my sacrifices. But there comes a point in life where you stop running and pushing and trying so hard. You realize, and maybe under unfortunate circumstances, that you don't really win, not with what matters most to you.

I've had many wake up calls to do life differently than what appears in mainstream. I walk the thin line of consumerism (I do enjoy nice things and experiences) and freedom. It can get complicated, confusing and exhausting. But when I think of "ease," my body softens and smiles. It feels like a desert being loved by rainfall. It nourishes me at every level.

My truth, and maybe yours too, is different from that unconscious voice driving our habits. Every part of me is craving ease. Not hustle, not rushing, not stress, but ease. I am not naive to think that life is easy and without challenges, heartbreak, or difficulty. But I am wise enough now to check in with myself to ask, "Is this (fill in the blank) bringing me ease?" Does the thought of it (fill in the blank) bring ease or stress? And then make choices accordingly. 

This is where I have arrived at life, and honestly, I'm so thankful. This in no way means I won't step up the plate, or work long hours (I'm sure I will but hopefully not as much), or deal with stress. Life happens regardless. I can't change that. But, "Does this bring me ease?" seems to be an important question to start asking. 

It takes courage to ask yourself hard questions (squill) and to not lie but honor yourself. It's the journey to holding yourself accountable for the choices you make and the life you are living and creating. So much of life is outside of our control but there are pieces of our lives that are inside of our control -- how we see and think about all the pieces, how we nurture and grow, how we allow ourselves to unfold like nature allows itself -- that make all the difference!

I don't know how this will actual look, but I imagine that

• I will be more aware of what brings me stress and ease -- and make different choices
• I will say "no" more often to the things that don't bring me ease instead of saying "yes" out of a sense of obligation and suffering through it
• I will have to learn and practice not feeling responsible for someone else's feelings
• I will experience more peace, deeper breathes, better sleep 
• there will be less busyness and more fulfillment 

Maybe the easy part is finding a word and the more difficult part is carrying it through 365 days. My hope is that I will do so with ease. We will see, but I'm already finding that I am asking myself, when I'm having to make a difficult decision, which option brings me the most ease. I'm starting early :-). 

There's still time for you to choose your word for 2022. What will it be?



 

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